Puppy Rock
by LovePeppermint
Summary: Kiba is tired of his elitist school. He wants something new, fresh and exciting. Sadly, he is tied by chains to his daily routine. Neji is a mysterious figure that pops into his life. Will he be able to change Kiba's world. Will Kiba change Neji? Read to see how Kiba and Neji go through this rollercoaster called life. (Ps. A bit of hurt/comfort genre as well).
1. Chapter 1

Hello. Yes, you've seen correctly, I'm here with another new fic. This time it's not SasuNaru though, but enjoy. For my first time readers, welcome to the world of Peppermint. I hope you enjoy! :D

* * *

Kiba yawned. He had woken up extra early this morning, as early as 5 am. Now, when he stood in front of his locker, he regretted that decision deeply. But he needed to raise his grades. He needed to put in more effort. His Father had been somewhat irritable lately. Kiba felt more and more fed up with school though. Shallow people, shy people, mean people, kind people. Humanity as a whole bothered him at times. He sighed as he opened his locker. He hated going to school. He hated to study. He wasn't stupid or anything, he had always found it easy enough to learn. He wasn't a genius, but not an idiot either. The thing is that this was a school made for smart people like that, so they had raised it to a level where even they needed to study to pass. Kiba hated studying. He bit his lip, but he had to study and achieve high results. He wasn't the one deciding on which school he got to go to. His father had been dead set on making Kiba go to that High-Achiever-Hell. And lately he was dissatisfied with Kiba's mediocre test results.

...

The first lesson Kiba managed to pay attention. When lunch came he just longed to be set free. He felt terribly confined in the classroom. Therefore, he escaped to the school yard. He found himself a nice big tree and climbed up on it to sit on one of the bigger branches. Kiba had never really been an indoors person, he felt much more relaxed outdoors. He unbuttoned his shirt and looked at a bruise. 'what the heck..? Why did this have to happen?' Kiba muttered. It was just too weird. Was he really that much of a disappointment? He closed his eyes with a sigh and leaned towards the trunk. When Kiba suddenly heard a whimpering noise he opened his eyes and looked around himself. On the ground, was the cutest, most adorable, puppy he'd ever put his eyes on. But it looked so lonelyand sad. Kiba climbed down from the branch he was at and sat down in front of the sulking puppy.

"Hi" He greeted it and petted it gently. He loved dogs. But why was there one here at school? He picked it up and put it in his lap. The puppy seemed comfortable in the new warmth.

"You look a bit scruffy... Were you abandoned?" Kiba asked it with a sad smile. The puppy licked his hand.

"I'll call you Akamaru, because I like red and aka is red in Japanese" Kiba explained to Akamaru. "But what should I do with you when lunch break is over? And I doubt dad will want me to take you home... I could try to hide you but I doubt that would work." Kiba talked away. "But don't worry, I definitely wont abandon you!" He reassured. "Or maybe you do have an owner and I'm just getting carried away?" Kiba grinned and scratched the puppy behind its ear.

"Could you be quiet?" Kiba jumped when he heard a deep voice seemingly from nowhere. He looked around. He didn't see anyone. Kiba looked at Akamaru. Impossible..!

"Akamaru... you can talk?" Kiba asked in astonishment. This was like something that only happened in movies!

"I'm not Akamaru." Kiba heard rustling behind him. A guy with long hair appeared from behind the tree trunk. Kiba blinked. He had no idea that he wasn't alone.

"You and that mutt woke me up" He said in annoyance.

"Go home and sleep in your bed then, what did you expect in school?" Kiba retorted and stood up, puppy in hand. The guy glared. "What's your name by the way?" Kiba asked. He didn't want to keep referring to him as The Guy.

"Does that concern you?" He countered. Kiba rolled his eyes.

"I'm just asking for you name, not your life story." He said.

"Al right then. It's Neji." He said and crossed his arms. "And you?"

"Kiba" Kiba smiled.

"What grade are you in?" Kiba asked.

"Second" Neji answered.

"Cool, then you're one year older huh." Kiba said. Neji didn't answer. He didn't seem to be the type for small talk. Neji glanced at Akamaru.

"I can take care of the mutt until after school. I'm skipping anyways" Neji offered. Kiba looked at him in surprise. Since this was an elite school skipping was extremely rare.

"Skipping?" He asked. Neji glared.

"Will you give me the mutt or not?" Neji asked callously as his hair blew softly in a chilly November breeze. Now, Kiba had never felt his heart skip a beat for a guy, but there was something about Neji in that light and Kiba somehow felt somewhere deep in his heart that this was the beginning of something. It was that unexplainable feeling one gets at times when life enters a new chapter.

"Yeah, here. I'll pick him up after school then." Kiba said and handed Neji Akamaru. While he was walking away he glanced back at him. He was sitting like Kiba had done moments ago, petting the small life with a face softened from the scowl that seemed to frequent it. Without thinking much of it, Kiba simply continued walking.

…

After the lessons had ended Kiba returned to the tree. Akamaru and Neji were where he had left them. Neji stood up and handed Akamaru to him and without saying anything he began walking away. His loosely tied black hair swayed gently behind him. Kiba looked after him. What an antisocial bastard. But he wasn't too bad, he had taken care of Akamaru. Maybe he just didn't like people. Kiba looked down at Akamaru.

"But seriously though, I don't know what to do with you now..." Pursing his lips, he picked up his phone. He scrolled through his contacts. 'There must be someone who seems likely to take care of him for a while...' Kiba thought. His gaze got caught on a name. 'Naruto... He's the type that wouldn't be able to say no to this cute little one.' Kiba thought and grinned evilly. Naruto would just not be able to refuse.

'Naruto, meet me at the usual café' Kiba wrote. Naruto was obsessed with cafés recently so Kiba thought that was a good bribe. He would need to smuggle in the puppy unnoticed though. Kiba's phone buzzed.

'ok XP'

…

Kiba sighed. He should have known. He should have seen this coming. Naruto had brought his new boyfriend Sasuke. Kiba and Sasuke didn't really get along, they had a bad start and neither of them felt like mending that.

"I need to ask you for a favour" Kiba said with Akamaru in his lap. They were sitting at a secluded table so the staff wouldn't notice him.

"What?" Naruto asked with his usual bright smile while Sasuke just looked suspiciously between Kiba and the puppy. Kiba glared slightly at him. Since Sasuke was here Kiba was worried that he would make Naruto refuse, like storm out with him and leave Akamaru or something similar to that scenario.

"Save this puppy?" Kiba did his best to make Akamaru look pitiable. Naruto paled.

"Is it dying?" He asked quietly.

"No... He's abandoned" Kiba said. Naruto bit his lip. The decision was easy, too easy, for him to make.

"I'll take him!" Naruto quickly declared. Kiba smiled. He knew he could count on Naruto, now the difficult and possibly unpleasant part would start. Sasuke scowled.

"You can't take in a puppy" He argued. Naruto glared at him. Kiba gulped. It had begun.

"And why can't I? Please Sasuke, enlighten me." Naruto asked. Sasuke sighed.

"Because you're too irresponsible so it would die within a week" Sasuke claimed. Naruto huffed.

"In case you have forgotten, I spent years taking care of my self without any help" Naruto muttered. Sasuke's frown eased slightly.

"But still, adding one more creature is too much for you... Kiba can probably find someone else to take care of it" Sasuke tried to persuade Naruto. Naruto bit his lip.

"Sometimes nobody wants to take care of you! I'm not letting him go through that and that's final. I'm taking the puppy" Naruto huffed and reached for Akamaru.

"His name is Akamaru" Kiba told him. Sasuke had lost that battle.

"Hi Akamaru" Naruto said with a smile. He would take care of him for Kiba. Sasuke glared at Kiba. Because of him Naruto would have to take care of a stupid dog. And he was such a klutz, he was sure to mess it up. This meant that Sasuke would be the one who really took care of that mutt. Sasuke and Naruto actually lived together. They had known each other for about a year but only recently had they become romantically involved with each other. Naruto had then moved in with Sasuke pretty quickly. They had a small age gap as Sasuke was 18 and Naruto was 16 like Kiba.

"I gotta go now dudes" Kiba said after taking a look at the time. "See ya Akamaru" he added and scratched him on the head.

"Later dude" Naruto waved goodbye.

…

When Kiba came home he heaved a big sigh. Now it was time for studying. Man, he disliked it. He would much rather be outside doing something fun that involved movement. But sitting still all day? That was just horrid. Nevertheless, Kiba went to his room and commenced the tedious task. Math. Terrific. Kiba found himself slipping away from the symbols and numbers. He wondered what Neji from earlier was doing. Was he studying? How could he manage school even though he skipped lessons? Kiba huffed in annoyance. Some people were just geniuses, weren't they?

…

"Neji, what do you think about these chords?" A sandy blonde asked the stoic teen while playing a tune.

"Those are fine, Temari" Neji replied and adjusted the volume of his mike. "But focus on the songs we have ahead of us now instead of coming up with new stuff." Neji added. Temari smirked.

"I can't help being inspired, can I?" She retorted. Neji shook his head. Temari was a skilled guitarist, so he did not actually doubt that she would be able to perform adequately at the live. While they talked their drummer Kankuro came in, he was also Temari younger brother by a year.

"I presume I don't need to point out that you're late." Neji said without looking up from the bass he was tuning. He was the band's singer and bassist. They were a pretty small band. A guitar, drums, and bass. Though Temari would occasionally play keyboard as well. However, she wasn't as good at that as playing the guitar. They were all in the search for new members, but since each of them had peculiar tastes they had yet to find anyone appropriate for them.

"Yeah, well at least I'm here" Kankuro smiled and began drumming a bit. Temari rolled her eyes at him. Time quickly passed and soon it was time for their performance. The stage opened up and they felt the rush of the spotlight. They felt alive. They felt free.

…

Kiba looked out of his window at the stars.

"I wish that I was free..." He mumbled before burying his head in his arms.

* * *

It was a bit short, wasn't it? Next one will probably be longer, so look forward to that (if you planned to continue reading of course :P). Did you notice how I managed to slip in some SasuNaru anyways? What can I say? otp is otp :P

Until next time

LovePeppermint~~


	2. Chapter 2

Hello~~ Chapter two of Puppy Rock here :) I really like this story~~ oh, I have so much of it in my head still... Enjoy!

Disclaimer(are these even necessary?) I do not own Naruto :P

* * *

Kiba remembered when he was eight and his father hit him. He had gotten into a fight with Naruto in school, which had escalated a bit from their initially playful intent. It wasn't the first time kiba had gotten into trouble either, he was an energetic and playful child, and of course he was mischievous. This time his father was reacting differently than usual, for example in the way he huffed out short breaths through his nose as if to try to contain his anger. Kiba had initially avoided his gaze but tentatively gazed up with guilt ridden eyes. He nearly flinched at the look in the eyes that met him. "You vile child.." His father muttered with poison deeply embedded in his tone. Kiba hadn't meant to upset his dad this much... He was about to apologize but his sentence was shifted to a yelp instead when his father struck his cheek. Kiba could only stare blindly. His bangs covered his eyes. He felt tears sting as a reaction to the pain. What was a greater feeling than the pain was the utter shock that his father had hurt him. Kiba did not understand why this happened. He flinched involuntarily when he felt his dad's heavy hands on his small shoulders. He dared not to look.

"Oh god, kiba... I'm sorry. Daddy will never to that again" his father promised as he embraced his sniffling son, his despair evident in his voice. And he held that promise, for a couple of years at least. Kiba was ten when his father's hand braced him again. Kiba felt the initial shock just like last time, though he had nearly forgotten about the event. He simply didn't think about it, wrote it off as a bad dream. But now it happened again. Kiba clenched his fists in various feelings of frustration. This time he had accidentally kicked a ball through the school window. His father had basically been breathing fumes when the teacher had told him. Windows were expensive. Kiba felt a faint taste of iron from his lip. This time, his father didn't tell him any words of reassurance immediately, only retreated in rage to solemnly come back later when Kiba was already trying to sleep. "I'm so sorry kiba" he had repeated many times as he patted kiba's hair. Kiba pretended to sleep.

As their lives went on Kiba's father had been close to beating him a couple of times after that, but always stopped just in time, guilt always flashing in his eyes. Sadly, Kiba continued to have an inkling that the peace would not last. Kiba was thirteen when his father hit him on the head with an empty plastic bottle. Kiba, who had grown to be a headstrong boy, had defiantly glared and cussed at his father in rage. His father had then thrown him to the ground, giving him a kick that forced the breath out of him. He had then left him there on the ground, gasping for air so vital. Kiba turned very cold to his father after that. He had forgiven his father the other times, but now he hadn't even bothered to ask for his forgiveness. Kiba's father grew increasingly busy at work, which kiba appreciated, it gave him more time without him. The bad side of it was that he simultaneously raised the expectations on kiba's grades. A lazy C had once caused him to be painfully shoved against the wall, coincidentally bracing the hard edge of a desk. Frustration caused Kiba to work harder in school. Was he really such a bad child? Kiba sometimes wondered And his feelings often changed between angry, confused and guilty. Only his friends were his saviors, though he had never shared this aspect of life with them. He didn't want their worry and pity. Kiba often felt lost. His father was actually a really good person most of the time...

And now, kiba was sixteen, his father had hit him more frequently lately. For small things even, like leaving dirty dishes in his room for example. With a sigh Kiba shifted in his bed. It was not the first time his reflections kept him up at night. But, he needed sleep or he would fall asleep in class. It was useless to dwell on this anyways. He needed to be good in school if he would ever have a chance of repairing what had once broken and never really been fixed.

.

.

"Neji, we need to find a bloody replacement for Gaara already" Kankuro reminded him for the hundred and fifth time. Neji sighed in annoyance.

"You think I'm not aware? I'm as concerned about this as you are. We have high standards, and that's how it should be... So, the wait will be worth it. I'm hanging up" Neji didn't feel like going over this again. Kankuro was getting really antsy lately as he wanted a permanent new singer in the band as soon as possible. Was it for team morale or to prepare for some contest? Neji didn't know anymore. Neji himself also wanted to speed up the process so that he didn't need to fill in the position. He wasn't bad at singing, it was just that the band needed something more, and they all agreed on that. The road to finding a new lead was surprisingly long, everyone who applied seemed mediocre and not charismatic enough. Even if they had a stunning voice something wasn't there. They lacked a spark and passion that the band sought. They needed someone with a raw fire within them. Feeling a bit miffed at the difficulty of it, Neji prepared to leave school for the day early to rehearse with the band.

.

.

Kiba tapped impatiently on his desk with a pen. He felt bored beyond belief. His teacher had been ranting about something for an hour already, couldn't they just be allowed to go home? Restless, Kiba's eyes wandered to look outside the window. He paused his tapping and turned slightly more alert, watching with interest as he saw Neji climb over the school gate and disappear. Kiba pursed his lips and looked after him longingly. He also wanted to run away sometimes from school to just play around a bit... But... Kiba clenched his fists. He hated going against his own beliefs. He didn't believe in this shitty elite school. He wanted freedom, fresh air, laughter. Guess what? He wasn't a robot. Kiba hesitated slightly but went with his gut. He found it was usually best to follow one's instincts. With an excited inhaling of air Kiba stood up and in the process locked eyes with his surprised teacher. He flashed an inspired smile and rushed out of the classroom. Man, had that look on the teacher's face been bloody priceless. With a happy laughter he ran through the hallways at full speed.

He got out of the school building and felt the refreshing breeze fan his face, oh yes! How he was in his element now! He didn't stop here, he jumped over the fence and hoped to catch a glimpse of Neji. Kiba landed on the ground and turned his head from side to side in hopes of finding the elusive man. He smiled when he saw him walking ahead on the street.

"Neji!" He called as he sprinted. Oh, he felt so adventurous... This was long overdue. Neji turned when his name came flying at him from nowhere. He actually quirked a brow when he saw that it was Kiba.

"Did you want something?" Neji blatantly asked. He could practically see the gears in the poor boy's head search for some reasonable answer.

"Um... Well- What are you up to?" Kiba asked curiously. It wasn't like he wanted something specific. Just have some fun was all. Neji scrutinized him. He was looking cheerful, though a bit out of breath. He had obviously ditched school even though it wasn't time to leave yet. Now, Neji wasn't one that really could lecture on that sort of behavior, but he was nevertheless somewhat curious as to what had brought the kid to do so. Especially since it seemed that he in fact had no real purpose. How peculiar, Neji couldn't help but to think.

"What's it to you?" Neji retorted. Kiba chuckled.

"Nothing much really, just curious" He replied. Neji hummed as a response.

"Well aren't you an odd one" Neji smirked. Kiba looked flabbergasted in response. Neji was amused. There was something refreshingly straightforward about this person. Neji hadn't pondered much about it the first time they had met, but now it had become evident that he clearly differed from the norm. Neji looked at his watch. He could afford to be a bit late now that he thought about it, Neji reminded himself that being punctual wasn't always immensely important.

"Why don't I spare some of my time on you?" Neji suggested.

"Really? Cool... Whacha wanna do?" Kiba asked with a grin and shoved his hands in his pockets. He felt exalted. It was such a long time ago he had last let loose to do something fun. He could feel layers of tiredness peel of him every second that passed. He missed being spontaneously crazy like this and apreciated that Neji was playing along.

"I have no special preference" Neji said. He preferred surprises nowadays. "Why don't you surprise me?" Neji returned. Kiba paused to think. What was fun to do while hanging out... Neji didn't seem like the type to go to arcades, but still he had said he had no preferences, meaning that such a place might work after all. Still, Kiba couldn't manage to picture him there. Thus, he decided on a bowling place. He hadn't gone bowling in a long time and probably needed some tuning.

"Then we'll go bowling." Kiba declared. Neji nodded and off they went. They didn't speak much during the walk there. They didn't have to, since both of them were content. Neji wasn't the talkative type, and Kiba was simply joyed enough by being gutsy enough to play for once. it felt like a step closer to who really was within. The only time they spoke was when Neji inquired how 'that mutt' was doing. Kiba had replied that he was doing fine at a friend of his. Kiba pondered a little on how Neji seemed less hostile today than the last time they had met, which was already about a week ago. And naturally, autumn was kicking in nicely. It was already the beginning of October And chilly winds swept by now and again.

As it turned out, Neji was in fact an ace at bowling. It had left Kiba baffled when Neji scored strike after strike and he could not wrap his head around how on earth it was possible. But it earned a good few laughs from him. Neji had even chuckled at the boy's sincere amusement of the situation. It was rare for him to see someone that earnest in life, who possessed eyes so free of ill intent. Neji could see that he was headstrong in them, he had long been a good reader of people. That side of Kiba became even more evident as he focused intently on trying to score strikes like Neji. He failed miserably, but Neji saw the effort he put into it.

.

.

"I can't believe I lost that badly..." Kiba whined when they were done.

"You lack technique" Neji explained.

"I can tell that you don't... How did you even do that?" Kiba asked, still dumbfounded by Neji's skill.

"I am a genius" Neji smirked. Kiba laughed, though he did at the same time realise the truth in Neji's statement. You could somehow see it on him, that he was a genius.

"That's what they all say" Kiba teased playfully. Neji snorted at this. The two were currently walking towards Kiba's house. It wasn't a planned arrangement, things had just ended up that way. They had played for so long that the sun had set and the stars were glimmering above them in the vast space. It was a very serene evening. Too soon almost, they reached Kiba's house.

"Well... I guess I'll see you around sometime" Kiba said at the doorway, feeling somewhat reluctant to part ways already. Neji could see the uneasiness in Kiba.

"If you wish to" Neji replied. Kiba smiled lightly.

"Bye Neji" He said with that same tranquil smile. Neji felt someone pull at his heartstrings.

"Until we meet again, Kiba" Neji waved goodbye and left. Kiba's smile faltered as he watched Neji get further and further away, his hair blending in perfectly with the beautiful and mysterious evening. For some reason he felt a lump in his throat. Kiba was abruptly pulled from his thoughts by a harsch tug at his hair. He hissed at the sudden pain. He glared up to meet the fury in his father's eyes. He did not want to cower, so kept eye contact stubbornly.

"You're such a nuisance, Kiba" His father told him in disdain as he pushed him harshly against the wall. Kiba bit back a cry as a punch hit his stomach, practically at the same spot which had only just been healed. A couple of punches more in his gut and one to his face and his father seemed to have calmed somewhat, walking away incredulously. Kiba staggered to his room and slid down against the closed door. He exhaled a breath he barely knew was there. That had actually not been as bad as he had expected, seeing as he had skipped school, which should be a major offense. But that was not any worse or better than the usual. Kiba smiled weakly. Maybe his father was getting better again?

* * *

Don't hesitate to review if you see something I should improve :) Hope you liked it as much as I did :P

LovePeppermint


End file.
